Come with me
by girlskickass
Summary: Tony is going on vacation to Paris and asks Ziva to come with him. What happens to them when they arrive in the most romantic city in the world? Set after the end of season 8. In this story EJ left after the P2P case and Ray never came back after ep 8x20.
1. Introduction and idea

**Hi, I think that a lot of you know me because I am here every day and I review a lot, but this is my first story EVER.**

**I'm French so this is why I choose Paris for my first story; I thought it would be easier for a first try.**

**Please forgive me if I make a few mistakes and feel free to tell me.**

**Hope you will enjoy it. This is going to be a real Tiva story and I hope a long one.**

**BTW this is rated M for a reason.**

**Ps: a special thanks to StarkContrastStartles for pushing me to write and being my beta. This story is here because of you. Thanks. Hope you like it.**

**Summary: Tony is going on vacation to Paris and asks Ziva to come with him. What happens to them when they arrive in the most romantic city in the world? Set after the end of season 8. In this story EJ left after the P2P case and Ray never came back after ep 8x20.**

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><p><em>Come with me.<em>

_Chapter 1. Introduction and idea._

Everything was finally over; it had been a long and complicated year which had ended pretty badly.

They both had tried during the year to move on with their feelings for each other, putting them aside like it had never been there, because it was complicated, and because they were too scared of what could happen between them anyway.

So it was better to just jump into the first safe and easy relationship, right? Ziva wanted someone who would not go away or hurt her, and Tony was not getting any younger and didn't want to end up old and alone, so Ray and EJ were like a perfect choice for them.

Unfortunately… or fortunately for them those relationships had not worked out and once again they were both alone and uncertain about their future.

So when vacation time arrived, neither Tony nor Ziva knew what to do but both knew that they needed to go away from DC for a while.

And that was the beginning of a very long and beautiful relationship.

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><p>"So Ziva, where are you going this summer?" he asked from his desk.<p>

She looked at him with a sad smile. "I do not know yet. You?"

"My father wants me to join him in France next week, a friend of his is letting him stay at his house while he's on vacation, owed him a favor he said. So you know, France, big house, a pool… why not?"

"It is nice of him, you two seem to get along pretty well lately. I am happy for you. Where in France? You did not say." she asked curiously.

"I didn't? Paris." the smile on his face said it all.

"Paris. Really? Well have fun; Paris is beautiful during the summer. You are going to love it there. I have amazing memories, my mother used to take Tali and I to Paris quite often when we were young." She stopped there, lost in her memories and not trusting herself with saying more about her past and the loved ones she had lost.

"You know, my father said that it was a huge house and that I could come with a friend. And we both know how much my father loves you.

Why don't you come with me, we could have fun, you, me, Paris again? I'm gonna need someone who can speak French and show me around. And I'm sure you know a lot of good French movies, I'm gonna need someone for that too, I don't want to end up watching some weird and crappy film." He really wanted her to say yes, he loved his father but two week alone with him was A LOT, so he could use a friend, and Ziva, well, he loved spending time with her anyway (not that he would ever admit that).

"That is very nice of you but-" she began to protest but he was too quick for her.

"Come on, why not? You love Paris, and I was kidding, you don't have to spend your time with me if you don't want to, you can stay at the house and do whatever you want to during the day, if you want to be alone, that's fine with me." It was far from fine, but at least he would not be alone with his father all the time.

"I do not want to impose myself and do not be silly, I would never go on vacation with you and ditch you when we arrive." She wanted to say yes, maybe this was exactly what she needed, but she didn't want to come between him and his father and steal all the attention, plus what the others were going to think, her going on vacation with Tony? It sounded weird, right? Was it okay for friend to do that?

"You're not imposing yourself, I'm inviting you. Are you gonna make me beg? Because I might do it." he said with a serious face.

"If you are sure it is ok, then, yes. Thank you, I think I would like that. But please, tell me that we are not going to spend every night watching movies because I am sure I can kill you with a DVD too."

"Come on, I'm taking you to Paris and you're threatening me? Where are you manners, Miss David?"

"What did you do to Ziva again Tony?" McGee asked, coming back from Abby's lab.

"Me? Nothing McCurious, I'm only taking the lady to Paris." the smile on his face made Ziva roll her eyes at him and she explained the situation at McGee like it was a perfectly normal situation.

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>So how was it? Should I continue?<strong>


	2. Time to go

**WOW. I really need to thank all the people who read chapter 1. **

**601 hits and 16 reviews... I still can't believe it. It feels amazing. Thanks.**

**And "probationarysidekick", thank you for accepting to be my second beta. I love what you did with this chapter.**

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><p><em>Chapter 2. Time to go.<em>

A few days later everything was organised. The team knew about the little Parisian adventure that was about to take place and they all had different scenarios running through their minds.

McGee thought that Tony was never going to make it back alive; he had a special talent for irritating Ziva and she was not known to be a very patient woman.

Abby and Ducky had wagered on how long it was going to take the two of them to realize that they had feelings for each other in the world's most romantic city. Palmer hadn't even bothered to place a bet – he thought they were both far too stubborn to ever admit that they were more than simply friends.

And Gibbs… well, Gibbs wasn't thinking about Tony and Ziva at all. He had other things on his mind and just hoped that his agents were not going to kill each other.

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><p>Ziva was just finishing packing when she heard a soft knock at her door. It was past 9 and she wasn't expecting any company. Dropping her bikini back on to her bed she stepped out of her bedroom and curiously made her way to the door.<p>

She stared through the peephole and sighed, opening the door to reveal Tony, standing there with a movie in his right hand and a bottle of red wine in the other.

She frowned and asked, "Tony, what are you doing here?"

He smiled a little awkwardly, as if he was rethinking his decision to come over.

"I was bored and got this amazing idea. You, me, wine and 'Charade'," he said waving the DVD in the air. Ziva stared at his cartoon like grin and waving arm sceptically. "C'mon Ziva, you know, the 1963 classic with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn?"

"I know what 'Charade' is Tony. I have seen it before. It is not a bad movie," she told him teasingly.

"Well then can you think of a better way to spend our last night in DC?" he said trying to come off as playful but sounding a little more pressing. Although he would never admit it, he was really scared that she was not going to let him come in.

A small smile escaped his lips as she moved aside and let him through the door, making sure to tell him that she was not done packing and that he was going to have to wait until she was finished.

"Go. I'm going to open this nice little bottle of wine, put the DVD on and wait for Miss 'packing at the last minute' on the couch."

She rolled her eyes, choosing to not answer him and strolled back to her bedroom. It didn't take her long to finish packing, and soon enough she was back in the living room. Tony handed her a glass full of rich scarlet liquid as she settled on the couch next to him.

"Thank you," she said, smiling slightly. Their eyes lingered for a moment, before Tony broke away and pressed play, beginning in the movie.

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><p>The credits were rolling and Ziva had fallen asleep, her feet resting comfortably on Tony's lap. He looked at her tenderly, unsure whether to wake her or just leave.<p>

A slight shift in his position however, woke her up anyway, so the choice was made for him. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at him sleepily, not failing to notice the softness in his eyes.

"Go to bed Ziva. I'll let myself out and pick you up at nine tomorrow morning," he said gently.

She smiled and slowly got to her feet, walking him to the door.

"Goodnight Zee."

Before he knew what was happening, Tony felt a soft pair of lips press up against his cheek. They lingered for a moment, before pulling away and being replaced by Ziva's chocolate brown eyes.

"Goodnight Tony."

And with that Ziva gingerly closed the door and made her way back to her bedroom.

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><p>Tony smiled as he walked down the hall that led away from Ziva's apartment, still surprised by the kiss. He thought back to the only other time she had kissed him like that – it had been almost two years ago in the men's room. He thought about how much their relationship had evolved and he smiled again, replaying the past encounter in his head. He shook it off. The past was the past. So he rode the elevator down and left her apartment building with only thoughts of the upcoming trip rolling around his mind.<p>

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><p>The next morning was a blur. Tony left his apartment at 8:45 and arrived just in time at Ziva's place. He rapped his knuckles on the door excitedly and she opened up with a big smile on her face.<p>

He could see she had been waiting, ready, with her suitcases by the door.

"Bonjour Tony," she said happily.

He laughed and replied, "Bonjour mademoiselle."

"Very good, I'm impressed. If you had called me 'madame' I think I would have had no choice but to hurt you," she said, grinning.

"Believe me. I know," he half laughed as he took one of her suitcases, knowing that she would never let him take them both, and carried it outside so she could follow with the next one and lock up. They glanced at each other and then quickly looked away, both uncharacteristically excited about the upcoming trip. They quickly loaded Ziva's suitcases in to the back of Tony's car and jumped inside, zooming off to the airport and their first step towards Paris.

Just over two hours after, they were both seated next to each other, ready to leave DC. In about 11 hours they would reach Paris, ready for two weeks of whatever awaited them in the city of lights and love.

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed it. <strong>

**Review and let me know :)**


	3. Oh Paris!

**Hello, I'm back. **

**Sorry for the delay but my amazing beta was a little busy. (Thanks again "probationarysidekick" I love your work.) **

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed. 29 reviews, 2,098 hits and 41 alerts... this is just incredible. **

**Enjoy.**

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><p><em>Chapter 3. Oh Paris!<em>

After eleven long hours spent talking, sleeping, watching movies, eating and then sleeping some more, the plane touched down and Tony and Ziva arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport. It was 4pm in Paris, the weather was great and they were just happy to finally be in the beautiful city.

As promised, Mr DiNozzo Sr. had sent a car to pick the pair up and take them to the house they would be staying in and soon enough they were zooming off into the heart of the city.

"Paris baby! Look at this Ziva. Isn't it amazing?" Tony asked.

Within no time, they had reached _The Eiffel Tower_, which Tony was already pointing at out of the window excitedly. "I want to go to the top of this thing Zee, the view must be stunning," he said in wonder.

"It is Tony. And I promise we will, but I want to take you to _The Louvre_ first and then to _The Moulin Rouge_. You are going to love it," she said, grinning at his excitement.

"Sounds great. I'm counting on you for all the hot spots around here."

Ziva laughed. "If you are nice, I might even take you to _The Crazy Horse_. It is the best cabaret in Paris. The shows are unbelievable."

Tony's eyes sparkled as he stared at Ziva stunned. "You're gonna take me to a cabaret? With naked women? God Ziva, you're awfully kind in Paris!"

"I am always kind Tony," she said pretending to be shocked by his comment. "And besides, they are not naked. Well… not completely naked. That does not matter though. They are great dancers," she added with a smirk.

"Oh yeah. You danced when you were younger didn't you? Were you almost naked too?" he asked flirtatiously, with wide eyes and a playful smirk.

"Ha! In your dreams Tony," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "I was a ballet dancer."

Just then, they pulled up in front of their house, effectively stopping all discussion.

And what a beautiful house it was.

It wasn't simply big; it was huge, with gorgeous frosted glass windows and a sweeping balcony across the top floor. It was everything Tony's father said it would be and more, and they had two entire weeks to enjoy it.

Even better than that, was the two cars that were parked outside of it. The vehicles were at their disposal for the entire trip, meaning no taxis and no waiting. They were free to go wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted.

It was perfect.

Tony Sr. was waiting for them outside and he smiled when he saw Ziva, opening her door to help her out.

"Ziva! Darling! Just look at you, you're even more ravishing than the last time I saw you," he exclaimed, hugging her as she stepped out of the car.

"Thank you Anthony, I am so glad to see you again, and thank you for letting me come here with Tony," she answered just as warmly.

"You more than welcome my dear, it's a pleasure to have you."

"Happy to see me too dad? Or are you only interested in Ziva?" Tony said with a chuckle, feigning hurt.

"Of course Junior! Come here," he said, giving his son a quick hug before leading the pair inside.

The interior of the house was even more gorgeous than the outside of it, but he showed them around only quickly before taking them to their rooms. These happened to be next to each other's, with Senior sleeping in a room on the floor above them.

Each room had a king size bed and private bathroom, each with the biggest bathtub and shower the duo had ever seen.

_'Oh god,' _Tony thought as soon as he saw his room, '_this is going to be the best vacation ever.' _

Once finished with the rooms, Senior took them outside to have a look at the garden and pool.

The minute he saw it, Tony flashed back to LA. He was immediately taken to the pool and Ziva, in her sexy bikini, reading yet another book. She thought he was ogling those other girls, but there was really only one woman he had his eye on. God, he could not wait to see her in one of those again.

Senior had to yet again, pull Tony and Ziva away from the view to inform them that he had made reservations at a fine restaurant for their first evening in France. So the two of them raced up to their rooms to shower, unpack and dress properly for the occasion.

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><p>An hour later Tony was ready, looking as sharp as ever in a grey suit, and it didn't take long for Ziva to join him.<p>

She was breathtaking in a simple, sleeveless little black dress that stopped just above her knees and showed only a little cleavage.

"Wow… Ziva you look amazing," Tony said, enchanted by her beauty and elegance. Especially her hair. It was the first time in a long time he had seen it fall in luscious, free curls down her back, as opposed to the straight style she usually adorned.

Ziva smiled and blushed uncharacteristically. "Thank you Tony. You do not look so bad yourself."

Ziva David was not a woman who blushed easily, but something about Tony complimenting her made her feeling like a schoolgirl inside.

"But where is you fath-" she began to ask, before she was stopped by Senior gliding down the stairs, wearing a similar suit to Tony's but in black.

"Here beautiful," Senior said charmingly, offering her his arm, "Hopefully Junior told you already, but let me just reiterate that you look stunning."

"Why thank you Anthony, you are very kind. You look wonderful yourself. I am a very lucky woman tonight, dining with two of the most handsome men in Paris. All the French girls are going to be jealous," she replied playfully.

Senior chuckled, before adding, "my dear, they will only be jealous of you and the fact that they will never manage your beauty."

Ziva smiled yet again, taking the arm he was offering her as Tony looked at his father and partner a little jealously. Nonetheless, he followed them as they walked out to the car and the three of them sped off in the direction of the restaurant - _Lasserre_.

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>It was not very long, I'm sorry. The next one is a little short too, but do not worry, chapter 5 is longer and so are the others :)<strong>

****Review and let me know what you think.****


	4. Dinner and First Night

**Hi dear readers! Sorry for the wait. Chapter 4 is finally here.**

**Since this story is taking place in Paris (and that I'm french and went there a few times), I decided to show you where Tony and Ziva are going, because they are all real places, some that I know about, and some where I really went. You can find all the links and photos in my profile :)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>Chapter 4. Dinner and First Night<em>

Tony and Ziva walked through the doors of _Lasserre_, surprised at just how luxurious the restaurant they were being taken to was – not to mention extremely expensive. When they expressed their concerns to Senior however, he insisted that he had invited them both and so they should not give money a second thought and order whatever they liked.

The night was lovely, filled with delicate French food, rich wine and light conversation and by the end of it their stomachs were full and the wine bottles empty.

Once they had paid, the three stepped out into the chilly Parisian air each rubbing their shoulders as they made their way towards the car.

"Well tonight has been lovely, but I have a meeting early tomorrow morning so I do need get some sleep," Senior said in his suave tone of voice.

The agents nodded, and piled into the car. Soon enough, they were home, Senior had said goodnight to Ziva and his son and he had gone up to bed, leaving them alone.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, Tony and Ziva decided to take the car to go take a walk on _The Champs Elysées_. Ziva had said it was beautiful at night and Tony couldn't wait to go and see the _Arc de Triomphe_.

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><p>Ziva hadn't lied. Tony could tell that it was, indeed, beautiful before they even got out of the car. So they quickly parked in another street and then walked on <em>The Champs Elysées<em> for what felt like hours.

Suddenly, on inspiration, Tony took Ziva by the hand and dragged her in the Disney store rambling on about wanting to buy her a stuffed animal. Ziva thought was he was saying was ridiculous but was surprised when they walked out of the store with not one, but two toys.

"I cannot believe I let you do that. What am I gonna do with Winnie the Pooh and Minnie? I am not a child Tony!" she sighed, half exasperated, half amused.

"You're not supposed to do anything with stuffed animal Ziva, they're just cute and soft; and one day you'll give them to your child and explain to him or her where they are from. It's a souvenir… you know memories of Paris," he told her softly.

Ziva looked him in the eye and her heart melted a little, simply because he looked so serious and tender during his little speech.

And so, she didn't say a word, instead she grabbed him by the hand and gave him a look that clearly said 'come with me.' She wanted more memories, and decided that taking pictures under the _Arc de Triomphe_ would be a great way to make them.

She pulled him gently underneath it and then let go of his hand and ran in the opposite direction, whipping her camera out as she did. She snapped two pictures of him, before he swapped positions with her and did the same.

Tony was ready to go back to what they were doing before, when he hears Ziva ask a woman if she would take a picture of the two of them together.

The woman agreed and plucked the camera out of Tony's hand, motioning for him to go stand beside his partner. When they were in position, the woman told them to stand closer together. She said it however, in French so only Ziva understood.

Ziva complied, scooting closer to Tony and putting her arm around his middle. She looked up at him and he turned his head under her gaze, seeing nothing but happiness in her chocolate eyes. It was something he didn't see very often.

Suddenly, the flash went off and the woman handed the camera back to Ziva, saying goodnight to the two of them.

"Do you want to go get something to drink before we go home?" Tony asked hopefully with a hint of bashfulness in his tone, not wanting this moment to end.

"I would like that," she replied with a small smile, which he knew meant that she was having a great time and didn't want it to end either. "Come with me, I know this great little place just over there."

She led him to a street just behind _The Arc of Triomphe_; they only walked for about 5 minutes before finally making it to a nice little café, _Le Cristal_.

They took a seat outside and Tony ordered a coffee for himself and an ice tea for Ziva.

They spent the next half hour simply talking about everything. Work, Paris, Tony's father, almost every topic was covered and the entire time he couldn't take his eyes of her. She was glowing under the moonlight and he thought that she had never looked more beautiful.

Then he made her laugh and he revelled in the sound. He thought about how close they were at that moment and smiled, but then the memory of Ray telling him that she saw nothing more than a brother to him wiped it clear off his lips.

She quickly saw the change on his face and became intrigued and concerned.

"Are you ok Tony?" She asked tenderly.

"Yes, of course, but it's getting late and we should go," he responded in a strangely cool tone of voice.

And just like that the magic was gone. He left a few bills on the table, and stood up, waiting for her to do the same.

She followed him, a little surprised at his abrupt change in persona but decided against saying anything.

They walked to the car and he drove them back to the house in an awkward silence, each acutely aware that the other was not speaking.

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><p>They arrived home and quickly went inside, with Tony locking the door behind him. They turned towards each other simultaneously, Ziva searching his eyes.<p>

"Thank you Tony," she whispered.

"For what?" He asked her, a little confused.

She smiled at him tenderly. "For asking me to come with you. For the 'souvenirs'," she said gesturing to where Minnie and Winnie the Pooh lay with a grin. "And for just being there."

She walked over, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek once again and said goodnight before padding quietly upstairs to her bedroom.

Tony watched as she went and touched his cheek tenderly, as surprised with this kiss as he was with the rest of them. Nevertheless, he shook his head and followed her up the stairs, turning instead to go to his room.

As she lay in bed, Ziva could not stop thinking about her night with Tony, how much fun they had and how comfortable she was with him. But, then she wondered about what had happened in the café. Why was he feeling so sad suddenly?

_'I'll make him talk to me'_, she thought. And with that in mind she fell asleep, still thinking about him.

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>Okay, so now, things are gonna get more interesting, trust me. And I'm done with short chapters. The next ones are a lot longer.<strong>

**I'll update as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience :) **

**And like always, r****eview and let me know what you think.******

**Thanks.**


	5. Breakfast, running and swimming

**Hello Tiva lovers. The summer is finally here :) and I just turned 23, two weeks ago, YAY. **

**Chapter 5 is finally here. I'm not a huge fan of this one but I wanted to move forward and give answers to some things that bothered us on the show, I chose to do it like this because that's how I see it.**

**Enjoy**

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><p>Chapter 5. Breakfast, running and swimming<p>

When Ziva opened her eyes the next morning, the sun was already shinning and illuminating the room. She glanced at the clock, and seeing that it was already 9am, she jumped up and threw on some running clothes.

As she entered the kitchen, she was surprised to see Tony already sitting at the table, drinking his coffee and waiting for her in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Normally, she would never be the last one out of bed, but jet lag did that to her.

"Morning Ziva. Sleep well?" Tony asked, a grin plastered on his face.

"Good morning Tony. Yes, very well, thank you," she said, noticing that the food in front of him was untouched. "You should not have waited for me," she gestured towards it.

"I wasn't going to eat without you. Come on, take a seat, I'm starving," he replied, still smiling.

Ziva gave a small laugh. "Well thank you," she said in between sips of coffee. She grabbed some fruit and cereal off the counter, yet again surprised to see that Tony was having the same; he was usually more of a pancakes type of guy.

"I am going for a run after, do you want to come with me?" she asked warily, hoping to spend a little time with him so she could ask him what went wrong the night before.

He looked up to meet her eyes and grimaced a little. "Thanks but I'm gonna pass. Exercise on vacation isn't really my thing," he replied with a cheeky smile, trying to hide his discomfort. "I think I'm just going to lie down in the sun. You can join me after your run; we might even take a swim."

Ziva nodded a little disappointed, but she took comfort in the fact that she would have time to talk to him then. "Ok, works for me. I guess I will be going then."

She stood and started to clean up the table but Tony told her to go with a simple smile and an "I'll do it".

Ziva looked at him dubiously, before giving in. "Ok. See you later then."

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><p>One hour later the door clicked open and Ziva was back, very tired and very sweaty.<p>

She trudged upstairs, took a quick shower, put on her bikini and went outside to join Tony by the pool.

He was simply laying there in the sun, oblivious to everything around him. She smiled to herself; noticing his amazing physique and overall attractiveness. It was becoming harder and harder for her to put her feelings for him aside.

Ziva realised where her thoughts were headed with a start. She was alone. In Paris. With Tony. And not only were they become closer again due to the amazing time they were having together, but now she was also finding herself drawn to him.

She wanted him. She had for a very long time, there was no use denying it. But it was impossible. They were partners and just friends, plus she wasn't sure of his feelings towards her anymore.

Two years ago she could have said with certainty that he had feelings for her. After all, she had never forgotten that he had told her he couldn't live without her. But since then, nothing.

Yes, he may have been jealous of Ray, but was it really jealousy? She wasn't sure anymore. Maybe he had just gotten used to being protective over her. Maybe it was just something that develops when you have someone's back every day for 6 years.

And it's not like he hadn't had any relationships. He had quite obviously fallen in love with Jeanne and then he had dated EJ for a while. He said that he 'got' EJ. Not her, EJ. He had never said that about her. She distinctly remembered her heart breaking when he had confided that in her. She-

"Ziva! You're here. Did you have a good run?" Tony said, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Yes, Tony, it was a good run. I found a great little path around here. Next time you are coming with me. I will not take no for an answer," she said, trying to keep her face serious.

"Fine, fine, I'll come," he replied, that cheeky grin making its way on to his face yet again. "Now, please shut up and lie down, you need to work on your tan. You're almost as white as McGee."

Tony could not deny how incredibly happy he was to see her in a bikini again. She was even more gorgeous now than she was three years ago, if that was even possible.

"What? I am not, do not be ridiculous! Nobody is as white as McGee," she threw back at him with a smile to match his own and a little laugh to accompany it.

She moved over to the deck chair next to him, still grinning and lay down and closed her eyes. Tony took one glance at her before doing the same. They stayed like that for what felt like forever before Ziva finally opened her mouth.

"Tony?"

"Yeah?' He answered, wondering what she was going to ask.

"What happened last night? Why did you shut down at the café so suddenly?" She asked him, concern evident in her voice.

He looked away sheepishly, desperately wanting to tell her the truth. But how on earth was he supposed to tell her what Ray had said and why it was bothering him so much, without revealing his feelings for her? He realised that he simply couldn't. So instead he attempted to blow it off.

"What do you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered, pretending to be unsure of what she was referring to.

"Tony, do not play this game with me," she said in a stern tone, now clearly frustrated. She knew him and she wanted to know what was wrong, even if it was something she did not want to hear. Even if it was his heartbreak over the way his relationship with EJ had ended.

"I know you and I know when something is bothering you, so you can either be honest with me or say you do not want to talk about it. Just do not lie to me Tony. Do not pretend that you are ok if you are not," she finished, harsher than she intended.

He looked at her, shocked. How could she say that he didn't trust her? If only she knew it had nothing to do with trust. He had to say something, not everything, but something. He had to try.

"You know that I trust you Ziva. It has nothing to do with that. I just-" he started, but she cut him off.

"Then why are you not telling me Tony?" she said in exasperation, obviously hurt. "I thought we were close and that we had each other's backs. I thought we were here for one another Tony. If it is about EJ, we can talk about it. I am here for you."

He looked at her big brown eyes and was stunned to see the sadness in them. "Of course we are Ziva and no, it has nothing to do with EJ. That's over and I'm glad it is."

Now he was screwed, now he had to tell her, or this vacation was going to take a turn for the worse

"Ok, remember when Ray came to NCIS the first time?" It was a rhetorical question but he waited for her to nod before continuing nevertheless. "Well, we had a little conversation in the men's room. It was a conversation that reminded me of one I had with Rivkin years ago. I felt exactly the same way after both of them."

Now she was lost. What did he mean?

"Tony, what are you trying to say?" She asked, looking into his beautiful green eyes.

"Well, Ray was more subtle than Rivkin about it, but he basically bragged about the fact that you were _**his**_ and that he was going to tell you that he loved you and then-" Tony stopped, the words almost tumbling out of his mouth, unsure whether or not he should continue.

"Then what, Tony?" She whispered, pressing him for answers.

He looked at his feet, not able to face her as he said the next words; unwilling to let her see how much they were still hurting him. "He said that… that you had told him we were close… but that I was just like a brother to you."

"He said what!" Ziva almost screamed, shocked and angry. Yes, she had said a lot of things to Ray about how close she was with Tony, about how protective he was and about how much he cared about her. Sometimes she had even been scared that Ray had seen how much she cared about Tony because of how often she talked about him. But she had never said anything like that. She had _**never**_ said or thought about him like a brother, because that would be an outright lie.

"It's ok, you know, I guess I was a little surprised at first. I mean, yeah, I think of McGee and Abby as my brother and sister. We're all like a family. But I've just never thought of you like a sister. And last night we were having so much fun and then I thought about that moment again. That's it."

He sat there, still staring at his feet, wondering.

Wondering if she realised what he was telling her. If she realised that he was saying in a roundabout way, that what Ray had told him hurt more than he thought possible.

"I cannot believe he said that Tony," she told him stunned, hoping he would look up. She sighed when he didn't, but took matters in her own hands.

"Tony, look at me" she whispered, putting her index finger under his chin and tilting his head up. He tried to avert his gaze, but she waited until his eyes were locked with hers before continuing.

"Ray had no right to put his nose in our relationship like that or to tell you those things. Tony, please believe me when I say that I _**never**_ told him anything like that. I have never told _**anyone**_ anything like that."

"You have been a lot of things to me these past years but not once have I thought of you like a brother. I mean, come on, our undercover op? Being stuck together in that shipping container? The pictures of me on your wall? Are those really the kind of things you experience with your brother?" She half asked, half stated with a little laugh.

Tony couldn't help but smile now. She had never thought of him as a brother. She had never even pretended that she had. So what did she think of him as? He knew in his heart that he wanted to ask her, but truth be told he was afraid of the answer.

"Well I feel kinda stupid now," he uttered instead, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Alright then," she replied with a smile, sensing that he was trying to change the subject. She knew this man too well. "how about that swim?"

He grinned and before she could even stand up, he had leaped off his chair and thrown himself into the water. He had clearly had enough of being serious for one day.

She laughed and got up off her own seat. She could not believe that he had believed that for all this time. A brother? How ridiculous.

She was happy that Ray was now gone for good. Although she had thought that he was a great guy for a long time, she could now see that he had not only betrayed her, but was the jealous type. The type willing to lie and hurt an innocent man who had done everything for her, just to make sure that she was only his.

She did not know what to think anymore. Tony had obviously been hurt by the brother comment, if the situation were reversed she would have been as well, but she knew why. She would have been hurt because she loved him.

So what did that mean? Did Tony feel the same way?

"C'mon Zee, hop in already!" He yelled from inside the pool, displaying that boyish half-smile that made her heart flutter.

She knew what she had to do as she dipped in to the water. She had to find out where they stood.

It was now or never. They were alone in Paris - no team, no Gibbs, no rules, no EJ and no Ray. For the first time in years, nothing and no one was between them. The timing was perfect.

For Ziva David knew one thing. She wanted her life to change and she wanted that change to be because of Tony. She wanted him in her life. Him and no one else.

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>So how was it? Good, bad? What did you think of the brother comment when you saw the episode?<strong>

**Please tell me and review.**

**The next chapter should be up soon.**


	6. Shopping and time together

**Hello, hello :)**

**Thanks again to all the people who read and review this story. You guys are amazing. I always love it when my Inbox is full. Your opinion is very important for me. So, if you want Tony & Ziva to visit something in particular or if you have an idea for the story, please don't hesitate and let me know.**

**The new chapter is here just for you and just like for chapter 4, you can find the pictures related to this chapter in my profile. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>Chapter 6. Shopping and time together.<em>

Tony and Ziva spent what felt like forever in the pool, but it was getting late and so, the pair went inside to eat, shower and get dressed.

Ziva had promised Tony that she would go shopping with him on the plane and Tony had decided that he wanted to go today. With his father still either in his meeting or gallivanting around Paris doing god knows what, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Tony finished first wearing jeans and a crisp white shirt, and a few minutes later he heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked up to see Ziva with a white summer dress swishing around her mid-thighs. He smiled, revelling in this side of Ziva. The cool, relaxed Ziva he rarely saw, even outside of work; the one who actually enjoyed wearing dresses and heels. He loved the cargo pants and tanks too, make no mistake, but this was nice too. It made him feel like she was letting him into some private nook in her life. One none of their other colleagues had been invited into.

Ziva smiled back, because just like Tony, she loved seeing her partner in different attire. He was incredibly sexy in those jeans and his shirt matched her dress, making them look like a perfect little couple.

They walked out to the car and Tony quickly hopped in the driver's seat, still marvelling at the lack of protest coming from Ziva. You see, the two had an agreement that Tony would be the only one allowed to drive on this trip. Ziva's driving was bad enough in DC and Tony thought the Paris' summer traffic would only make it worse. Besides, the car had been leant to them by a friend of his father's and he certainly did not want to risk an accident.

Curiously, Ziva had agreed to that pretty easily.

"So m'lady, where to?" He asked her once they were comfortably seated, with his most charming grin.

"Let us go to _The Champs Elysées_ again. There are a lot of great stores there and then we can go to _The Galeries Lafayette_. It is on the boulevard, just behind the avenue of _The Champs Elysées_."

So it was decided. Once there, they walked along the avenue and lost themselves in the shopping.

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><p>Four hours later they walked out, arms laden with shopping bags. Tony had bought 2 new suits, a pair of shoes, 5 shirts and 3 pairs of jeans, while Ziva had only a sexy red dress (which Tony thought was made for her) and a purple top (because Tony had told her the colour suited her amazingly).<p>

"I am going to have no money left after this trip," Tony joked as they made their way back to the heart of the city.

"Well I told you to go easy. We still have a week and a half to go!" Ziva chastised him lightly, not really putting much effort into it. She knew it was pointless. Tony was too stubborn and he loved his clothes.

"Oh stop being such a buzz-kill Zee! C'mon, let's go to _The Eiffel Tower_. I think I need to relax on the grass," he said tiredly.

"Oh, **_you _**need to relax? I cannot believe it," Ziva replied with an incredulous laugh. He really was unbelievable. He had spent that past four hours dragging her into every possible store to buy things and he was the tired one?

But he looked at her with puppy eyes, and she couldn't help but give in.

"Fine, but not for too long. I do not want to get back to the house too late. I want to cook dinner tonight," she told him, glee evident in her voice.

"Really? Yummy! You're a great cook. What are you making? Something Italian!" He asked, or more demanded, hopefully, his lips seeming to move a million miles an hour.

"Thank you, but Tony, we are in France. Why would I cook Italian?"

"Come on Ziva, for me… Please?" He begged, turning up his charm as much as he could.

He was such a child, but there came the puppy eyes again, and she still couldn't say no. "Ok, but just dessert then. Is Tiramisu ok with you?"

He licked his lips and nodded, giving all the confirmation she needed. She just smiled and explained to him how to go to _The Eiffel Tower_.

Once there, they parked the car near _The Champ-De-Mars_ and walked until they finally found a quiet and nice spot on the grass to sit, facing the structure.

"So when was the last time you went to the top of this thing Ziva?"

A sad smile crossed her lips, as memories came flooding into her head. "I was 18. It was the summer just before Tali's death. We went together. She always loved going inside."

"I'm sorry Ziva, I shouldn't have said anything," he responded quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her sad.

"No, it is ok," she reassured him. "It is strangely nice to be able to talk about her to someone. You were right, memories are important. The good ones, and it does feel good to think about her and Paris. It was always so great to come here."

"Tell me more then," he almost whispered. "What was she like? Were you close?"

She smiled and lay down, the grass tickling her back and he followed, turning on to his side and using his elbow and fist to support his face, so he could watch her as she talked.

"She was 2 years younger than me. We were very close, but very different. Not physically, we both looked just like our mother, but we had very different personality. I was more like our father and she was more like our mother. I was papa's little soldier. She wanted to live a happy life, away from all of that."

Ziva looked down at the grass next to her, ripping it from the ground. She sighed, before continuing. "She loved spending time with me though and sometimes she stayed at my apartment. That day I had promised to take her shopping; she wanted a new dress for a concert we were supposed to see together. But work changed our plans, so she went by herself. I never saw her again." By now her voice was close to breaking and her eyes had glassed over with tears that had yet to spill.

Tony hated seeing her like that. He hated the fact the she had lost so many people in her life and that she had suffered as much as she had. It killed him inside.

"I'm sorry Ziva," he whispered as he took her delicate hand in his.

She glanced up at him and smiled, as a single tear escaped from her eye.

"Thank you Tony."

He could see something different in her eyes now that she looked at him. He saw softness and a vulnerability that she only rarely showed. He loved the fact that she trusted him enough to let him see her like this. She was really letting him in.

He shifted a little, until he was lying on his back too. His right hand let go of hers for only a second so he could turn over, before he quickly grasped it back, intertwining his fingers with hers.

They stayed like that for what felt like forever, hand in hand, next to each other and closer than ever.

Ziva wished she could stay like that for hours but she had promised a Tiramisu and if he wanted to eat it, they needed to leave now.

She gingerly removed her fingers from his, before standing up and helping him to his feet. He smiled and quickly kissed her forehead, before they headed back to the car and drove in direction of the house.

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><p>Ziva threw the keys on the table with a clatter, before proceeding to help Tony with the bags. As they walked in Senior, who was there when they arrived, raised an eyebrow at the vast amount of shopping they brought in but said nothing. Ziva gave a small smirk before making her way to the kitchen to see if she had everything she needed to cook for them. She was pleased to see that both refrigerators were fully stocked with everything she needed, even the mascarpone, so without hesitation she took everything out and started to cook.<p>

Meanwhile, Tony was informing his inquisitive father of what they had done that day.

"She took me shopping," he said with a stupid grin. "We had a great time."

Senior smiled coyly, sensing what his son was feeling. "Junior, just what is going on between you and the pretty lady in the kitchen?"

"Nothing dad, I told you, she's just my friend and my partner," he answered defensively and definitely too quickly.

"Well then Tony, either you're blind or you're an idiot, so which one is it?" He said, exasperated, but not really expecting an answer.

Tony was speechless. For starters his father had actually called him 'Tony'. Not son, not junior, not Anthony, 'Tony'. He opened his mouth and closed it rapidly, completely unsure of what to say. As it turned out, he didn't have to say anything. His father continued for him.

"She is an amazing woman. A diamond. I see the way you look at her and more importantly, the way she looks at you. What are you waiting for, son?" he asked, this time expecting a response.

Tony sighed, realising that now was not the time to be shy and lie to his father yet again about his feelings for Ziva.

"I know dad," he said, keeping his tone as hushed as possible. "But I don't know how she feels about me and I don't want to lose her. If the only thing that I can have from her is her friendship, then I'd rather have that than nothing at all."

"Junior, believe me, the girl is crazy about you," he told Tony, his expression one that clearly said I-know-what-I'm-talking-about. "I thought you knew woman better than that," he added, thinking the time was right to tease his son.

"She's not just any woman, dad. She's Ziva. She's special and when it comes to us I never know what to think," he said sadly, deciding to keep the conversation serious.

Senior looked at him and sighed, realising that it was time for him to have a heart to heart with his son. "Look my boy, you have two choices. The first one, you stay like this and risk losing her to someone else because you're too afraid. Or you can take the second option and tell her how you feel; build a future with her. Which one are you going to choose son?"

"It seems so easy when you say it like that. But what if she doesn't want me? What happens then?" Tony replied, letting his insecurity out for the first time.

"Oh believe me, she wants you, and besides, this is a risk that you need to take. It's the only one that can change your life forever and finally make you happy," he stated matter-of-factly, willing his son to go for it. He had been a terrible father for this kid all his life but now he knew that his son's happiness was in the hands of Ziva David. And her's in his.

You could say a lot of things about Anthony DiNozzo Senior, and he knew all of them. Yes he was greedy, and yes he had been married more times than he could remember, but he knew what real love was and what it looked like. He had known it once, with Tony's mother. They were happy and when she died it felt like a part of him had too, but knowing her and having her as wife had been the best experience of his life. She had given him a great son and a great marriage and if he could, he would do it all over again.

The pain didn't matter. What was the saying again? Oh yes. **'_Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all' _**and that was exactly how he felt. He would forever cherish his memories with his wife and son and he wanted Junior to experience that too.

And he knew that Ziva was the one for him. He could see the bond, the love, between them no matter how much they had tried to hide it.

He didn't think he was the only one either. He was pretty sure that everyone at NCIS knew that the two were crazy about each other.

Meanwhile, Tony thought about everything his father had said, until he heard Ziva call them to eat.

And by that time he had made up his mind. Tomorrow would be a very interesting day.

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>So? How was it? Good, bad? What is your favorite part or line? Please tell me and review. <strong>

**I'll update as soon as possible :)**


	7. Dinner and a movie

**Hello, sorry for the wait. Chapter 7 is finally here and things are getting interesting...**

**Thank you so much to all the people who took the time to review this story, you guys are amazing. And like always, thank you dear beta, you are the best.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>Chapter 7 - Dinner and a movie.<em>

The weather was still gorgeous as Ziva looked out the window, absentmindedly humming as she cooked a quiche lorraine, roasted chicken with vegetables and the tiramisu she promised Tony for dessert. The food was light, but delicious – a combination she had decided would reflect Mother Nature's mood outside.

The food didn't take her long, and soon enough she had called the men inside and the three of them were seated around the large dining table.

"Ziva my dear, this is absolutely delightful. I didn't know you were such a great cook, who on earth taught you?" Senior asked the Israeli with admiration.

She let on a small smile. "My mother was always amazing in the kitchen. My sister and I used to help her a lot; we enjoyed it so much. I guess that I just learned from experience," she answered modestly.

"Is your mother still alive?" Senior inquired, showing a high interest in Ziva's personal life.

She nodded softly. "Well, at least I think so. I have not heard from her since my sister's death," she said coolly, but with a hint of sadness.

Tony had never really asked anything about her mother, but he knew she was still alive because otherwise Ziva would have said something to him. However, since she hadn't, he thought that their relationship was probably very complicated and he didn't think it was his place to bring it up.

If she wanted to talk about it, she would eventually.

Tony glanced up at his partner and instantly wished his father had not asked her about her mother. She had that look on her face again. The one that made him want to take her in his arm and hold her close to him for hours. He never wanted to see her like that; not his Ziva.

"I'm sorry Ziva," Senior said regretfully.

She looked at him and smiled slightly. "You did not know Anthony. It is fine."

The trio sat in awkward silence for a while, until Tony somehow managed to lighten the mood. After that, the conversation steered clear of any heavy topics and was simply light and enjoyable.

Before they knew it, dessert time had arrived and Tony was immensely excited; he couldn't wait to try Ziva's Tiramisu.

"If this tastes as good as it looks, I'm going to eat the whole thing Ziva," Tony said with wide eyes and Ziva put down a plate of Tiramisu in front of him.

"Thank you, but your father has to try it too Tony," she replied teasingly, with a little laugh.

Tony rolled his eyes, but as he brought a piece of Tiramisu in his mouth he couldn't help but close them in delight. "Oh my God. It's like heaven in my mouth. This is the best Tiramisu I have ever had and I know a thing or two about Tiramisu."

She blushed slightly and thanked him and his father, who she vaguely heard agree with his son.

After dessert, the men of the house told Ziva to go relax in the living room and that they would clear the dishes and the rest of the kitchen. She deserved some quiet time.

She smiled as she melted in to the huge, plush couch, resting her feet on the arm rest. It was relaxing with the TV humming softly in the background, and Ziva was left to retreat into her own thoughts.

And so her mind reeled, eventually settling on her conversation with Tony in the pool that morning and the day she spent with him after that. It had felt so good to be close to him and to have him hold her hand. It was easy. Mindless. And she couldn't get enough of their interaction.

But now she needed to think about what she was going to do… or more importantly how she was going to do it.

She could not just say to him bluntly that she had been in love with him for years. No, she knew that if she just blurted it out, for want of a better word, it would just hang there, like an animal neither person wanted to approach. But she knew she couldn't let it go either. She was in too deep for that.

The thing was, Ziva was almost certain that Tony was feeling the same way after today, but she still had a nagging whisper in the back of her mind that was telling her to go easy and for the love of God, to be careful.

"Ziva, my dear."

She snapped her head around, looking for the voice that had effectively broken her out of her reverie. She blinked to find the eyes of Tony Sr, crinkling at the sides from where he was smiling.

"Well, it's getting late. I'm off for a bath and an early night. Got a hot date tomorrow, need my beauty sleep. So you kids have fun tonight," he said with a wink, leaning over to kiss the Israeli beauty on the cheek. "Night son." He added with a nod towards Tony, but the younger DiNozzo knew what that meant and he was exactly right. Senior truly hoped that this evening alone would lead to something more for the partners…

"Goodnight Anthony!" Ziva yelled up to Seniors ascending form, chuckling a little as she heard the cheeky mans footfalls on the staircase. He truly was something else that man.

"So my Ninja, what do you want to do tonight?" Tony asked, joining her on the couch and reverting her attention back to the younger, and at the moment, more important DiNozzo.

"Hmmmm… let's watch a movie."

Tony beamed at those words, as his two favourite things in the world were combined – Ziva David and motion picture.

"So, French movie right?" he asked getting up and searching through his father's friend's vast movie collection.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes please."

"What kind? Action, romantic, comedy, classic?" he asked still searching for something interesting.

"Let me see…" she said, moving over to the cabinet and leaning over him to get a better look.

Her eyes lit up as she came across a cover, and her choice was made in an instant.

"_Jeux Interdits_, 1952. What kind of movie is that Ziva? Title seems appealing," he said wagging his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Ziva rolled her eyes. Of course, the minute Tony saw the title _Forbidden Games _he would go to **_that _**place.

"No Tony, it has nothing to do with a couple having some fun. It is only one of the most beautiful French movies ever made."

"Okay then. If you say so."

And with that, Tony popped the DVD into the player and the pair settled on the couch, their arms touching, ready to watch.

As movie started, Ziva quickly put on the English subtitles for him and Tony soon came to learn that the movie was about a little girl (Paulette) who lost her parents and dog during World War II and a young boy (Michel) who finds her and decides to keep her.

Ziva on the other hand, was bracing herself. She was not someone who cried easily, but this movie got to her every time, especially the beginning and the end.

It was a sad movie, but it was so beautiful. She loved it. And she wanted to watch it with Tony, because somehow these kids made her think of her relationship with him. They were so important to each other. Just like she and Tony were.

She mindlessly moved a little closer, to rest even more against Tony's body as she thought. She felt safe when she was close to him.

"These children are so pure and innocent," Ziva whispered, before she could stop herself. "Nothing is more important than the other and they want to stay together forever."

Tony was taken aback as he looked down at her and saw tears running down her face. Needless to say, the image of a little girl clinging to her dead dog for dear life was so incredibly heartbreaking, but he was still a little surprised when he saw her cry. He gently put his arm around her shoulder to bring her even closer to him and she sighed before resting her head on his shoulder.

They stayed like that for the rest of the movie.

By the ending, Tony had joined his ninja, a few tears escaping from his own eyes as the little girl started to scream _'Michel, Michel'_ before the screen went black. Top top the depressing ordeal off, the closing music was just as sad as the movie, and it didn't help their mood one bit.

"I told you it was beautiful," Ziva said, noticing the tears on her partners face while wiping hers off her own.

"Yeah, but it's so sad. This girl lost everything, her home, her friends, her family, her parents, her dog. The only thing she had left was this little boy and he was taken from her too. Now she's all alone. She has nobody," he responded sadly. He had been really touched by the story; more than he would care to admit.

"I know, but what she had with him… it was special. It was so pure. He wanted to keep her with him forever and she wanted to stay with him too. I like to think that one day, in the future, he will find her. He will come for her and they will be together again. Forever," she told him almost inaudibly, lost in her thoughts.

That was when it hit him. The little girl, she reminded him of Ziva. She too had lost a lot of people in her life and the ones that were still here were dead to her. She had been alone for a long time and then, she came here, to NCIS, into his life, and he became her Michel.

And at some point, someone had taken her away from him but just like she had hoped for the kids in the movie, he had come back for her and now they were together again.

Tony shook his head, still reeling from this revelation, as he reach for the remote and turned off the television. He stood, offering her his hand and without a word accompanied her upstairs to her bedroom.

Once at the door, he gently pushed back behind her ear a strand of hair and leaned to whisper something in her ear. "He found her Ziva. She's not alone anymore. He's here for her and he will never let her go again," he promised tenderly.

He leaned back, and cupped her cheek tenderly in his hand, the caress become increasingly intimate. Her beautiful dark eyes were looking right into his and he saw nothing but raw emotion in them. For the first time however, he recognised what it was.

Love.

And just like that, without thinking about it twice, he moved forward, hesitant at first, but as he searched her eyes once more he knew that she wouldn't pull away from him. His lips met hers, soft and delicate and a thrill coursed through him as he felt her respond to his touch. She moved in perfect sync, while continuing to keep the kiss tender and gentle. It was something he wanted to feel for the rest of his life.

Slowly, after the most amazing kiss of his life, he let go and gazed up at her.

The moment was magic and that as how he wanted it to stay. They both let bashful smiles cross their lips, as they realised that what had just happened would change their futures forever. He knew that they would need to have a serious talk, but that would be left for tomorrow because tonight, all he wanted was to fall asleep with the memory of how good it felt to kiss her like that.

"Goodnight Ziva," he whispered, leaning up to place a kiss on her forehead, smiling one last time with a hidden promise, before heading down to his own room.

Ziva touched her lips in wonder as he walked away, the feel of him burned into her senses.

She could not believe it.

He had just told her that he would be there forever and he had kissed her. Finally, after all those years, she had felt his lips against hers again but this time it was real. No undercover operation, no protecting their soil, no job and no worries; it was just pure and true emotion.

She turned and walked into her own bedroom, closing the door gently behind her. She wasted no time in getting changed and going straight to bed because she knew that she would fall asleep thinking about him.

And she did.

She couldn't wait to know what was in store for tomorrow, but for now she was content with being happy, truly happy, for the first time in her life.

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>The end was inspired by the elevator scene (episode 8x23) and by what could have happened if the doors had not opened. I really think that Ziva was going to kiss him. I mean come on, the way she was looking at him and how she moved slightly just before the ding… Damn elevator.<strong>

**Oh and about the movie « Jeux interdits ». If you want to watch a really good French movie, this is the one. It's a black and white movie but it is amazing. And you can find the English subtitles online, so try it. All the informations are in my profile.**

**The next chapter should be ready tomorrow. Expect a lot of loooove. And in the meantime, please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. **


	8. Visit to The Louvre and Special Evening

**Ok Tiva fans, this is the chapter you were waiting for.**

**Like always you will find in my profile the pictures and links to where they went (The Louvre, The Eiffel Tower restaurant etc...).**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>Chapter 8 – Visit to The Louvre and Special Evening.<em>

Tony woke up to the sun blaring in his eyes, feeling completely happy and content. He could not even remember the last time he had slept so well.

Glancing at his bedside clock, he realised he has really overslept, so he jumped in the shower, quickly got dressed and then rushed outside, hoping to make reservations before Ziva woke up. Well, that was if she wasn't already awake.

He crept down the stairs, searching sneakily for any sign that Ziva was awake. He was in luck, she was still slumbering away, so he grabbed the phone and his laptop, quickly looked up the number and while he was at it, he quickly found somewhere to print the two tickets he had booked the night before. He sighed as the machine spat out his paper, running a hand through his hair and smoothing down his crisp blue shirt.

While the printer whirred, he decided to make his reservations, very pleased with this idea. If everything went as planned this was going to be one of the most amazing nights of his life.

The phone call was quick and after only a few minutes they had reservations for dinner at 8. Tony smiled. He couldn't wait.

Seeing as his father had already left, he decided to text him quickly to tell him that today was 'the day' and to explain to him what he had planned. In true DiNozzo fashion, Senior messaged him back right away and told him that it was about time and that he was going to stay at his date's house for the night. They'd have the house to themselves.

Tony didn't think that would be necessary for tonight, but he thanked his father anyway.

A little while later, a showered and clothed Ziva finally made her entrance into the kitchen wearing dark pants and a newly purchased purple top which she knew Tony loved. They smiled bashfully at each other, both acting a little awkward after the events of last night.

"Morning Tony," she said happily before settling down at the table.

"Morning sweetcheeks," he answered just as cheerfully, before joining her and pouring her a glass of orange juice.

"Did you make lunch Tony?" She asked him with a grateful smile on her face, pointing to the food already on the table.

"Hmm yeah… It's kinda late so I thought we could have a early lunch instead of a late breakfast," he said pausing, before adding "But if you want-"

"No, no, it is perfect Tony. Thank you," she cut him off, the smile still playing on her lips. "So… Did you sleep well last night?" She asked him, as she stabbed some food on to her fork, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Oh yeah. Really well. You?" he replied, a smirk creeping across his lips.

"Exactly the same," she told him, mirroring his expression while looking up at him through her eyelashes.

They ate the rest of Tony's chicken salad in a comfortable silence, adding a few leftover bits of quiche when they found they were still a little hungry. Ziva also gave Tony that last piece of Tiramisu, knowing how much he wanted it and much preferring an apple herself.

She saw him lick his lips as she put the dessert in front of his and couldn't help but laugh. He was so gourmand.

After cleaning the kitchen together, they slumped onto the couch to let their stomachs rest a little. Ziva grabbed the remote and fought a laugh as she turned on the television and saw Tony's face fall as he realised the program was in French.

_'How on earth am I supposed to understand this?' _He thought.

"Do you want me to explain what is happening Tony?" she offered with a smug smile.

"Well, yes, I don't get a single word of what they are saying," he responded frustrated. "And while you're at it, you could teach me some French because mine is pretty limited. I can say b_onjour_, _au revoir_, _mademoiselle_, _madame_, _merci_ and _c'est la vie_. That's about it. Oh and vo_ulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?_" He added winking at her.

"Hilarious Tony. Of course you would know how to say 'do you want to sleep with me tonight?'" She teased, rolling her eyes and hiding a smile.

"Hey, it's not my fault! It's because of the song," he insisted, pretending to defend himself.

To be honest, he actually knew another thing or two in French, but she would have to wait for tonight to hear it.

"Of course Tony," she said, now smiling openly. "So, do you still want me to explain to you what is happening or not?"

"Not really. Let's just forget about the TV and you can teach me some French instead," he said excitedly.

"Tony DiNozzo, asking me to turn off the TV to actually learn things? I never thought I would live long enough to see that!" she said in mock surprise.

"I'm hurt, sweetcheeks," he said dramatically, playing along. "I'm always ready to learn new things, especially from you," he said with a suggested wiggle of his eyebrows.

Ziva simply laughed at him and rolled her eyes.

"Ok, so what do you want to know?"

He thought about it for a few seconds before asking, "how do you say 'you are beautiful?'"

"Well you can say _tu es très belle_," she said, blushing slightly, wondering what he was going to ask her next.

"_Tu es très belle._ Did I say it right?" He asked her.

"Perfect," she replied proudly.

"Ok, now teach me how to say 'this is the most wonderful night of my life,'" he asked softly.

"_C'est la plus merveilleuse nuit de ma vie,_" she answered, now quite intrigued as to where this was going.

He repeated the sentence perfectly once again and asked her some more basic phrases after that, then he got to the part he had been slowly working his way up to.

"Alright, just one more. How do you say 'would you like to have dinner with me tonight?'"

"Well that is a little more complicated. You can translate it as _voudrais-tu dîner avec moi ce soir?_"

He gave her a knowing smile.

"_Voudrais-tu dîner avec moi ce soir_, Ziva?" He asked her tenderly.

She beamed at him, love shining out of every pore on her face. "I would be honoured, Tony."

"Great because I have reservations for tonight at 8. And before you ask, no I'm not telling you where. It's a surprise," he taunted her while remaining mysterious as ever.

"Tony, how am I supposed to know what to wear if you do not tell me where we are going?" she asked him, trying her hardest to extract as much information about this place as possible.

"Wear your new red dress. It will be perfect," he responded smoothly.

Ziva rolled her eyes but smiled before deciding that they should get going if they wanted to go to _The Louvre_. It was already 1:45 and they would need to get back in time to shower and change before going out tonight.

They set off, and within no time at all, they had arrived.

"Oh my god Ziva, this is **huge**. We are never gonna see all of it," he said, looking around the room with wide eyes.

Ziva simply laughed at him. She knew of course that _The Louvre_ was enormous. It was easy to get lost, even with a visitor's guide.

They decided that they should get a move on, so the first toured the ground floor. While Tony loved the French and Italian sculptures, Ziva was more amazed by the Oriental, Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities like the statue of Aphrodite or the one of Ramses II.

They then moved to the first floor, which contained Greek ceramics, some decorative arts, Napoleon III apartments (which Ziva thought were absolutely exquisite), and of course, the Italian paintings, including the Mona Lisa.

"So wait a minute… _This_ is the most famous painting in the entire world?" Tony asked completely shocked.

"Yes. It is small huh?" she replied, laughing at his surprise.

"Small? It is tiny! I really thought it would be bigger. Hey, I wanna see if her eyes follow me," he exclaimed, totally amused. "Ziva! They do!"

She rolled her eyes, while holding back laughter. It was so easy to amuse him, but he looked so cute dodging from the left to the right to see if it would continue to work.

"Come on Tony. You cannot spend the entire trip seeing if Mona Lisa's eyes follow you!" Ziva said, practically dragging him away from the painting and up the stairs to the second floor.

This one was dedicated to paintings. They were mostly French paintings but there were also some German, Russian… and other ones, that weren't really interesting. Most of all however, Tony had loved the Rubens room. The paintings were absolutely monstrous and completely gorgeous.

Before they could even blink, an hour and a half had flown and they were outside taking pictures and pulling goofy faces in front of the glass pyramid.

Their time however, was cut short when Ziva looked at the time, and realised just how late it was.

"Come Tony. We will be late if we don't leave now."

"But Zeeeevaaaaah we're having so much fun!" Tony responded in his most irritating kid-who-isn't-getting-what-they-want voice.

"Stop whining child!" Ziva replied with a laugh, practically dragging him over to the car and speeding off towards their residence.

* * *

><p>It was 7:30 and Tony was completely ready and waiting downstairs, dressed in a crisp black suit with a purple shirt and tie. Suddenly he heard the familiar clack of a stiletto coming down the stairs and he glanced up at the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.<p>

She was wearing a figure-hugging, red v-necked dress that he absolutely adored, together with black strappy shoes and soft curly hair that draped over her shoulders just how he liked it.

He had no idea what to say. Ziva David was beyond gorgeous and he had no clue how he had gotten so lucky.

"Ziva," he whispered softly. "You look… breathtaking."

She almost blushed under his intense gaze. "You do not look so bad yourself Tony. So are you going to tell me where we are going now?" she replied, trying to avoid his eyes boring in to her. It was so much to handle.

"Oh no Miss David," he said, reverting back to the familiar cheekiness she knew and loved. "You're gonna have to wait a little bit longer. I told you. It's a surprise."

"Fine," she sighed, faux annoyed. "Let's just go then!"

Tony said nothing. He just smirked and led her quickly out to the car.

* * *

><p>"What are we doing here Tony?" Ziva asked when they finally arrived, confused as to what they were doing here of all places.<p>

"Well, I thought it could be nice to eat at The Eiffel Tower restaurant and then finish the evening on the top…"

Ziva was shocked to say the least. She had heard it was extremely difficult to get in here but somehow, he had managed it. "I cannot believe you have done this!"

Tony was unsure how she was delivering that statement. Was she angry for some reason? Whatever her emotions, he was now panicking. "If you don't want to it's ok. We can-"

"Are you kidding me!" She cut him off. "I love it! Thank you Tony," she beamed, giving him a quick hug.

Tony let out a sigh of relief. He had nothing to worry about. "Shall we go in?"

"Yes!"

They went inside, and Tony handed their respective tickets at the entrance to the structure before leading Ziva to the first floor. It was from there they entered the restaurant; _Le 58 Tour Eiffel_.

"_Bonsoir et bienvenue au restaurant Le 58 Tour Eiffel_," a friendly host greeted as they walked in.

"_Bonsoir_. We have a reservation for two at 8?" Tony queried, unable to answer the man in perfect French.

"Of course. Mr. DiNozzo? Right this way," the host responded, speaking in heavily accented English.

He led them to a table in a corner, right by a window. Tony was so glad he had gotten this table. The view was amazing.

_'This night is going to be beautiful'_, Ziva thought as she sat down and took in the view. She was absolutely thrilled.

And so, they settled in and quickly ordered, both glad for the company and for the city of lights.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for this Tony. The view is magical and dinner was delicious," Ziva said softly just after finishing her dessert.<p>

"You're most welcome Ziva. I wanted tonight to be… special," he replied. After all, this was it. He was finally ready to talk to her about their relationship.

"You did?" she questioned, quite unsure why.

He reached for her hand, clasping her palm in his cupped one. "Ziva, you and I, we've been through a lot together. We've never had an easy relationship and it seems like every time we were getting… close, something always came between us. But even after everything, we were there for each other. And now here we are."

He took a deep breath.

"The thing is, I don't ever want to let something tear us apart again. I've already lost you so many times Ziva and I don't want to waste one more minute. I'm tired of pretending, Ziva. I'm tired of pretending that I'm not completely crazy about you. I'm tired of pretending that you're only my partner. I'm tired of lying to myself; hoping that if I don't think about you, at some point my feelings are gonna go away. I'm tired of being afraid that you could not feel the same way and-"

"I do," she cut him off abruptly, allowing a single tear to escape her eye. "You are the most important person in my life Tony. You have been for so long and there is no use denying that I am tired of pretending too. I do not want to lose you to someone else again because in all honesty, it hurts too much."

He watched her, as a she let another tear fall. She was so perfect, so wonderful, and it felt amazing to be able to reach for her across the table and placed his lips on hers tenderly, letting them linger for a few seconds. He pulled back and wiped her tears tenderly with his thumb.

"Never again. No matter what, we are never letting anyone come between us again. Not even Gibbs. I'm going to find a way to make this work. I'm even ready to change teams if it's what it takes to be with you," he said, leaving no room for her to doubt his seriousness.

She smiled sadly at him. "Hopefully there will be no need for that, but we will talk to him. Together."

"Yes. Together."

* * *

><p>Tony called for the waiter, and he presented them with the cheque. He quickly paid, before turning back to his partner, in all senses of the word.<p>

"Come on Ziva, let's go. We still have some time to go on the top of this thing."

The climb only took them a few minutes, and by God it was worth it.

"Beautiful," Tony said from behind her.

"I know," she answered. "Paris is even more amazing at night."

"I was not talking about the view Ziva," he said tenderly, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the nape of her neck.

Ziva leaned into his embrace for only a second, before turning to face him. "You are an amazing man Anthony DiNozzo," she said lovingly, leaning up to capture his lips with hers in a passionate kiss. He responded immediately as she tangled her hands through his hair and pulled him closer to her. It felt like the most perfect moment in the world.

Tony slowly pulled back, and stared into her eyes.

"_Je t'aime Ziva._"

For the second time that night, a lone tear escaped Ziva David's eye. "I love you too Tony."

She kissed him one more time before wrapping her arms behind his back and allowing her head to rest on his chest. She had no idea how long they stayed like that; in each other's arms and enjoying the view. Ziva knew that she would remember this night forever.

She cast her mind back to what Tony had asked her this afternoon. She now knew why he had wondered how to say 'this is the most wonderful night of my life' because indeed it was, the most wonderful night of her life, and it was not even close to being over.

She looked up at his peaceful expression from where her head rested on his chest, and leant back to face him. Only when his eyes gazed down to meet hers did she whisper, "Let's go Tony. I want to be alone with you…"

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>Love love love. They are finally together. Hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know and review :) <strong>

**And since I put some French in this chapter I would love to know if you guys knew any of the things Ziva taught Tony, and if you want to, feel free to say something in French in your review :D**

**Ok so now the bad news, 3 weeks ago I had a surgery, it went well at first, I was only supposed to be on bed rest for 2 weeks, unfortunately a few days after I experienced some complications, so I'm still on bed rest and I need a second surgery now. So I do not feel really great and with the second surgery coming soon I have no idea when I will get to write again. I still have one more chapter ready, (I will post it as soon as my beta sent it back to me) and another almost done. I will do my best to update soon but I don't know when I will feel like writing again... I hope you guys will understand.**

**Thanks.**


	9. First night together

**Hi Tiva fans :) I'm back with a new chapter.**

**But first, I wanted to tell you all how much I appreciate your reviews. 105 reviews, I still cannot believe it... and it's always such a pleasure to know what you think of my story. Thanks too for all the new alerts every week. **

**Now back to the chapter. Like I told you last time this is the 'M' rated chapter. It is for a reason, but I don't think it's too graphic, just a little description of the beautiful act of love. If it's not something you usually like, you can either give it a try or skip it. You will not miss anything except Ziva and Tony sharing themselves in most beautiful way.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 8. First night together.<p>

The ride home proved to be far too long for Tony and Ziva and, truth be told, they couldn't keep their eyes off each other. Several times, she even had to remind him to pay attention to the road. She understood though. They were both extremely anxious to get back to the house, both nervous and excited about the events that were sure to transpire.

He pulled into the driveway, and she practically dragged him out of the car.

Once she had fumbled with the lock, Ziva grabbed his hand in hers, smiled and led him upstairs. When they finally arrived at her bedroom door, she spun around, slinked her arms behind his neck, before leaning up and kissing him tenderly in the hallway. He ran his strong hands along her sides, until they fell to her waist and he let them rest there.

It didn't take long for what had started as a sweet kiss, to become intense. Needy. Passionate.

Ziva felt his tongue press slightly against her lower lip, almost pleading for entry, and smiled. She parted a little to allow him access for the first time and he heard her moan immediately inside his mouth as his tongue started to caress hers.

They were getting more and more heated with every passing second, and in an instant, Tony decided that it was time to stop, even if letting go of her was going to kill him.

He jerkily pulled away while he still as the strength to do so, and at first Ziva thought that it was because the need for air had became too much for him, but then he opened his mouth and told her something that surprised her.

"Ziva, I think we should stop here," he said breathless.

She ran a disbelieving hand over her mouth, and only just managed to utter, "Why?"

He brought a hand to her face and caressed her cheek delicately. "Because we have plenty of time for _that_, Ziva and I don't want to rush you. I can wait," he replied tenderly.

"But I cannot Tony," she whispered passionately. "I have, _we have,_ already waited six years Tony. Six long years. I cannot wait even one more night. I want you, I need you. Not tomorrow, not next week, not in a year, tonight," she continued, never once breaking eye contact.

She leaned into him, close enough to whisper, "Please Tony. Make love to me. Now."

That was all he needed to hear. She was ready for him, for them, and who was he to deny her anyway?

He turned and pushed her against the door, kissing her hard to let her know that he was going to give her what they both wanted. He contorted his hand to find the door handle, finally managing to turn it, lead her inside and kick the door shut.

He turned her around and backed her up against the nearest wall, wrapping his arms tight behind her back, bringing her even closer to his strong body.

Her own arms were still wrapped behind his neck, playing with the tiny hairs on his nape.

She felt his hands move down her back and he grabbed her ass, lifting her up to allow her to wrap her legs around him.

She moaned loudly at the change of position, and with that she knew that she simply could not take it anymore. "Bed now!" She ordered.

He carried her to the unmade bed, lowering her into the tangle of sheets before resting his own body on top of her. He ran his hands slowly and teasingly along her thighs, which were still wrapped around his hips, pulling her dress up in the process. The feeling of his hands trailing along the sensitive skin of her leg caused her to moan again, and gave her a thirst for more of him.

"Tony, you are wearing too many clothes," she whispered breathlessly, into the corner of his mouth, groping around for his suit vest. She leaned back, as she managed to pull it off, before working on removing his tie. Tony was all too eager to help her, unbuttoning his shirt as the vest and tie fell to the ground. The shirt was made quick work of, and soon enough it floated down to join the pile of other clothing which lay discarded on the floor.

Ziva smiled, and brought his mouth back to hers, before finally letting her hands roam the skin of his bare chest.

"Your turn," Tony said, giving her dress the once over. God knew that he loved it, but right now he just wanted it off.

He blindly searched for the zipper and Ziva laughed as he failed to find it. She guided his hand towards it and they opened the dress together. She let him push the straps of her dress down her shoulders while he placed wet little kisses along her neck and shoulders.

The dress joined the rest of the clothes, leaving her in only a black lace thong and matching bra.

She was gorgeous.

He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be able to see her like this.

He felt her hands reach for his belt and she opened it easily. She rolled them over, much like she had undercover all those years ago, and kissed him hard. He remembered. She preferred it on top.

The pressure of his growing bulge was killing him, so when she opened his pants and pushed them off of him, he sighed with relief. He saw her reach for the hem of his boxers and lick her lips in excitement, before pushing them down his legs and letting them too, fall on the ground.

He felt his member harden, if possible, even more at the sight of her all hot and bothered. He had never seen her like that, so turned on, so very, very ready and he liked it, he liked it very much.

He gave her a coy smile, as he proceeded to roll them over once again. He moved back to her neck, placing a trail of kisses down in and at the same time as his hands reached behind her back to swiftly unclasp her bra.

She helped him pull it off her and felt his eyes running up and down her body.

"Definitely worth dying over," he said with a smirk, referring to a comment he had made years ago.

She blushed and brought his head back to hers to give him a sweet, loving kiss.

It wasn't long however, before his mouth left hers again to explore her body. He started by her chest, planting soft kisses along each of her breasts before taking her left nipple in his mouth and sucking on it hungrily, making her cry out in pleasure as she arched into his mouth.

He spent the next few minutes giving lavished attention to both her breasts before letting his mouth travel along her beautifully toned stomach. Soon his mouth reached the hem of her thong and he looked up at her to see if she was ready to lose the last piece of clothing still between them. She nodded and lifted her hips to allow him to run it down her legs.

He lay on top of her and brought his face close to hers to stare intensely into her eyes, so full of desire, and smiled before kissing her lovingly. She could feel his hard member rest against her belly and was waiting in anticipation for his next move.

He positioned himself at her entrance and groaned slightly when he felt how excited she was.

"I love you so much Ziva," he whispered, sincerity seeping out of his eyes. "I love you more than anything in the world, and I'm gonna spend the rest of my life showing you just how much."

And with that he pushed slowly inside her for the first time.

She gasped at the feeling of his hard and long length entering her, stretching her tight walls, and automatically arched into him. Never in her life she had felt so complete, he was filling her so perfectly, like her body had been made just for his.

"I love you too Tony. You have no idea how much," she answered once she felt him fully settled inside her.

She brought her hands to his behind and pushed slightly, indicating to him that she was ready for him to start moving.

He started slowly and brought his lips up to capture hers in a deep kiss. She moved one of her legs to rest on top of one of his and felt him take hold of it. He ran a hand along her skin until he reached her thigh and pushed it higher, opening her for him even more, making her moan against his lips.

Her mouth moved from his and she left a trail of kisses along his jaw line, before moving down to his neck and nuzzling her face there.

"Ziva," he breathed in her ear, allowing his head to rest next to her shoulder.

His slow pace didn't last long, he couldn't help it, she was so overwhelming and soon his thrusts became faster and stronger and Ziva, lost in the pleasure he was giving her, started to meet him half way every time he pushed inside her. It was in this way that they fell into a perfect rhythm together.

By then, the only thing that could be heard in the bedroom were Tony's grunts and Ziva's deep and loud moans. They were holding each other so close that Tony didn't even know how it was possible for them to move so perfectly together.

Ziva had never felt so much pleasure _during_ the act before and she had never once in her life felt this connected to someone and Tony was no different. He could not let go of her even if his life depended on it. Being one with her was the best feeling he had ever experienced and he wanted to stay inside her, filling her, forever.

"Don't stop Tony. Please," she begged him, almost crying. It was probably the first time he ever heard her use a contraction, but now was not the time to tell her that. That was what brought him back to reality. He had been so lost in the feeling of her, the feeling of them together.

"Never," was all he managed to say before concentrating on making her lose it completely.

He brought his head up and started to kiss her again, hard and passionately, while rocking into her even faster and harder.

A few more minutes of deep and intense thrusts was all it took for Ziva to reach her climax. She screamed her pleasure in his ear and continued to move with him to prolong her orgasm and help him with his.

Her walls contracting around his cock was what pushed him over the edge. She felt him jerk against her and push one last time inside her depths before he released his seed deep into her and cried out her name.

His entire body collapsed on hers and the only thing he still had the strength to do was to place sweet, loving kisses along her neck and hold her close.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, but when he tried to move she stopped him.

"No," she whispered, half commanding, half pleading. "Do not move yet. You feel too good."

He moved his head to look at her and saw her eyes closed. She looked so content so peaceful, that he didn't have the heart to move anyway.

Still, he kissed her forehead with a quiet, "Are you sure?"

She mumbled an incoherent response, her eyes still closed.

"I don't want to smash you," he said playfully, a boyish grin creeping across his face.

"Do not worry my love," she answered him as she caressed his back.

He smiled at her words. 'My love.' 'I'm her love', he thought proudly. It felt so good to hear her finally say something like that.

He kissed her again before resting his head in the hollow of her neck and breathing in her scent and he stayed like that for a while before deciding that if she wanted to keep breathing, he should really move.

He rolled them over, moving out of her in the process. They both immediately regretted the loss of the other, missing the intimate connection they had shared. They both relaxed however, at the thought that now they could be together like that every time they wanted or needed too.

Ziva grabbed the covers with her feet and covered them both before moving slightly to rest her head on Tony's chest. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the soft thrum of his heart. It was a sound she would never get tired of listening to.

He tightened his hold on her even more, making sure that she was as close to him as possible.

"That was really amazing," she said, smiling as she played with the curls protruding from his chest.

"Yes it was. I have never felt anything like this before Ziva. You're magical," he said, placing a kiss in her hair.

"No. We are magical. Together," she murmured, gazing into his eyes before reaching up, and kissing him tenderly one last time.

She pulled away, noticing the crinkle in his eyes as he smiled, and she smiled too at the sight of him.

"I love you my little hairy butt."

"I love you too sweetcheeks. Sweet dreams," he answered as she settled back on his chest, kissing her head again.

"Goodnight, my love."

Ziva's words were the last spoken that night and Tony fell asleep to the sound of her contented snores, the happiest he had been in a very long time.

To Be Continued

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><p><strong>Done. So how was it? Good, bad? <strong>

**The next chapter is already written and in the hands of my beta (pretty long one, just so you know) and I'm working on chapter 11 :-)**


	10. Love and confessions

**Okayyy, so what can I say except, I'M SO SORRY for not updating this story.**

**If you want the truth, my beta was not answering me, I waited and waited and practically gave up. And the only reason I'm able to post this chapter is because of my amazing and dear friend : Aldea0402 (if you want to read the best Tiva story ever, read her story : "Just One More") who offered her services, so thank you so much sweetie, I adore you!**

**And now, chapter 10, enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 10. Love and confessions.<p>

Ziva was the first one who woke up the next morning. The bedroom was lightened by the sun which was already shining outside. Normally with weather like this she would already be dressed and ready to go for a run. But there was nothing normal to this morning.

For the first time in her life everything seemed perfect and easy and she felt totally happy.

Waking up in Tony's arms felt so right.

They were still in the same position. Neither had moved. Her head was still on his chest, his arms around her holding her close to his body.

She moved her head a little, just enough to place a tender kiss on his chest. This simple gesture made him sigh. She looked up at him and saw a content smile on his face. She moved her head higher and kissed his chin, his cheeks, his nose and then she kissed his lips lovingly. She felt him respond immediately and within a minute his tongue was pushing into her mouth, kissing her hungrily.

He had woken up when her lips had touched his chin, the softness of the gesture bringing back all the memories of the night before. God she felt good. Her naked body was lying against his, her delicate and soft skin driving him completely crazy. Her lips were kissing his face so tenderly that when he felt her move them to his he couldn't hold back.

His kissed her hard, devouring her for what felt like hours. She was making this cute little sound that was not helping at all his body to relax.

When it became too hard for them to breathe he let go of her mouth and looked at her face.

She opened her brown eyes and saw him watching her with eyes full of intense love.

"Morning beautiful." he greeted her.

"Morning my love." she answered smiling.

"Please, tell me you're gonna wake me up like this every morning." he said grinning.

"How?" she asked. "Like this ?" she said kissing him again.

"Yes!" he said in a whisper against her lips.

"But, what if I want to wake you up like this… ?" she asked before moving on top of him and rubbing herself against him.

His already excited body reacted immediately to their new position. Her touch caused him to harden even more.

"Oh you can absolutely wake me up like that too." he told her hoarsely.

She laughed seductively and kissed him again. She sat up and lifted her lower body a little to allow him to place himself at her entrance. She then lowered herself onto him, taking him into her depths.

It was nothing like the night before. This time it was a little more rough. They still had a lot to learn about each other and they couldn't wait to try different things.

Tony remembered that she liked to be on top and was determined to let her ride him and take control if she wanted to.

The view was amazing. He couldn't help himself… he had to touch her. Her perfect little breasts were so tempting, As soon as Tony started to run his fingers along her nipples her pace increased and her moans became louder.

Ziva's eyes were closed, her hands resting on his chest to steady herself as she moved her flexible body along with his; she could feel little pearls of sweat running along the small of her back. Her breathing was becoming heavier with each passing second and she had to bite her lower lip to not scream her pleasure.

Tony's hands let go of her breasts and took hold of her hips to help her move even faster over him.

"Oh yes, Tony." she cried almost there.

"Look at me baby. I want to see you." he pleaded.

She opened her eyes and smiled luxuriously at him.

She was so beautiful like this, just watching the way her body was moving was painful; he had never seen something so sexy, so erotic.

God she felt good, he was holding back his own release, he wanted her to come first but it was starting to get really hard.

He didn't know if she had sensed it but just when Tony didn't think he could hold on any longer, she rolled them over and let him take control, begging him to go faster.

Three more thrusts later she was coming hard under him and screaming his name over and over.

He couldn't hold back anymore, her name left his lips as he slammed himself inside her one last time before emptying himself as deep as he could into her and collapsing on top of her.

He felt her body tremble under him so he moved his head enough to look up at her and smile.

She was grinning at him and was trying to resume her breathing.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. "You're trembling."

"Oh… yes. I'm perfect. This… was so… amazing." she answered panting.

"You weren't lying, you really are a screamer." he said amused. "Thank god my dad isn't here." he added laughing.

She joined him and kissed him softly before letting him roll of off her. He gathered her in his arms and they cuddled like this for a while. They were both too comfortable to move.

He was playing with her fingers and every once in a while he would just place a tender kiss to the top of her head.

"How do you know? " she asked him.

He looked at her confused but realized quickly that she was talking about his father. "He stayed at his 'friends' house. He wanted to let us have the house to ourselves."

"Did he know you were going to get lucky last night?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Actually, he's the one responsible for this." he told her gesturing between the two of them.

Now she was confused.

"What do you mean?"

He laughed remembering what his father had told him. "He asked me if I was blind or an idiot and what I was waiting for and when I told him that I was scared that you may not feel the same way, he said that I had two choices, lose you or tell you how I felt. I thought long and hard and finally, I decided that I couldn't risk losing you again." he explained and kissed her quickly.

"Your father is a really smart man." she brought her hand to his face and caressed his cheek softly. "I owe him a lot."

"I think that in some way, he's like Gibbs. He knows what it's like to lose the love of his life." he said sadly.

"Your mother?" she asked gently.

His hands started to caress her back, the feeling of her skin calming him before continuing their conversation.

"He loved her. I mean **really **loved her. When she died I think his whole world fell apart. He was a great father before her death. He used to take me fishing, it was our special father/son time and I loved it, we used to have so much fun. And then she died and everything changed."

"How… how did she died?" she asked hesitantly.

"Car accident. Some drunk driver ran into her car on her way home." his said sadly.

"I am sorry, Tony." she told him with tears in her voice.

She hated seeing him in pain, she just wanted to hold him, kiss him and make all the sadness go away but sharing memories was a good thing. Good or bad it was their past and if they wanted a future together they needed to talk to each other about those old wounds that were still hurting so much.

His were his childhood; the loss of love had made him so careful with his heart. He always feared abandonment so he rarely let people in. He had this perfect mask ready; the clown who never takes anything seriously, sleeping around and fear commitments. Usually it worked pretty well, but some people could see behind the mask. Ziva was one of them. She had seen the real Tony almost immediately. And somehow, without him even noticing, she had made her way into his heart.

As for her, well, Ziva David had a lot of old wounds. Her childhood too had not been easy, far from easy actually, but life in Israel was a lot different from the life in America. And even with all the atrocious happenings around her, she had wonderful memories of her young life with her siblings and her mother.

The real pain had come later in her life. First with losing her sister, then the love of her mother and later on, when she had to kill her own brother. And then years later just when she thought that all the bad things were behind her, Somalia had happened. She had never talked to anyone about it, but she knew that at some point, she would have to tell Tony. If they were really doing this, he needed to know, he deserved to know.

That was not going to be easy, for him or for her. But it was something they both needed.

"It's okay. I mean, it wasn't okay when I was a child. After her death, he sent me to boarding schools and summer camps and for years we barely talked. He had no time for me, even when we spend vacations together. He was too busy marrying rich women. For years I thought my father did not love me." he stopped when he saw how much sadness and love were in her eyes and gave her a quick but tender kiss before continuing.

"I know better now. I know that he loves me and that he is proud of me. And now that I know what true love feels like, I understand him a little better. Even if I could never ignore my child like he did, I understand how lost he must have felt after losing her-" his voice trailed and a single tear escaped his eye.

"Come here." she told him.

She put her arms around him and rolled them over, hugging him tightly. She kissed his neck several times and told him how much she loved him. They stayed like this for a while, enjoying the comfort of each other.

Tony was the one who pulled away first. Kissing her lips lovingly before telling her that they should probably go downstairs and eat some breakfast. The sound that her stomach made answered for her.

Ziva quickly put on some shorts and Tony's shirt leaving him with only his boxers to put on. He smiled and followed her out of her bedroom.

"Do you want to take your breakfast outside in the garden?" she asked him.

"Why not, it's a beautiful day." he agreed.

"Well, go put on some pants and I will prepare everything." she told him smiling.

"I'll meet you outside then."

Ziva quickly took the orange juice, milk, cereals and some fruits outside and placed them on the garden table.

A few minutes after Tony joined her and found everything ready, Ziva already sitting at the table. He sat in front of her and they both started eating.

* * *

><p>"What do you want to do this afternoon, Sweetcheeks?" he asked after finishing his breakfast.<p>

"Mmm. Not much. I would like to relax in the pool and take a sunbath if it is okay with you." she told him.

"Absolutely. I think we deserve a calm and relaxing day. And if we want to, we can still go take a walk." he proposed.

"I would love that." she told him smiling.

Senior arrived just after breakfast and was not surprised to find Junior's arms around Ziva, kissing her neck as she washed the dishes.

He smiled at the sight in front of him and cleared his throat to announce his arrival.

They both turned their heads at the sound and Tony blushed slightly. Ziva stopped the water and greeted him.

"Hello young Lady." he answered.

"Hi dad, you just missed breakfast."

"Hi son. That's okay, I already ate." Senior said.

"Did your special friend made you breakfast?" Tony asked his father teasingly. "I would like to meet my next step mother before the wedding this time dad." he added in the same tone.

"Tony! Be nice." Ziva told him before slapping his arm gently in warning.

"Sorry." he told his father.

"No, he has a point." Senior confessed. "I do tend to marry women for the wrong reasons and divorce them a few months after. But this one if different Junior. She is not rich, neither is her family. She is only a few years younger than me. Her name is Elisabeth; she owns a little movie theater here. She is a very nice and amazing woman, you two have a lot in common. I think you would get along pretty well." Senior told his son honestly.

"Wow, I never heard you talk about someone like this before. Maybe you could invite her to dinner sometime this week; the four of us could eat here or go out… " Tony proposed.

He was intrigued by this woman. His father had never spoken like that of a woman before. Maybe he really had changed, maybe this woman was different. And who was he kidding, she owed a movie theater, it was like a dream come true. He could not wait to meet her.

"Thank you Junior, it means a lot to me. I told her a lot about you and your passion for movies, she cannot wait to meet you. I will ask her if she's free tomorrow night. If that's okay with you and Ziva, of course." Anthony Senior said politely.

"Of course. We are looking forward to meet the woman who stole your heart Anthony." she told him with her usual charming smile.

"Good. That's good." he told them. "But now tell me, what did you two planned on doing today?" he asked changing the subject to one more trivial.

"Not much, swimming a little, lie in the sun and then maybe a walk." Tony answered.

"If you do not have anything planned, maybe you could come outside and take a swim with us." Ziva proposed.

"That's very nice of you darling but I do not want to intrude. Young people in love need their time alone." Senior told them.

"Don't be ridiculous dad. Ziva and I have all our life to be together. I came here to spend time with you." Tony reminded him.

"Fine. I will join you for a while then." Senior agreed.

"Well, I am going to change and I will wait for you by the pool." Ziva told them before going upstairs, letting the two men of the house a little time to talk.

"Things seem to be working just fine for you Junior. I was right, wasn't I?" Senior asked smiling.

"Yes dad, you were absolutely right. Last night was amazing. She loved what I had planned and she looked so happy. But that what nothing compared to the moment I told her I loved her. She is the one dad and she loves me too." Tony said to his father, happily.

"I'm really happy for the two of you, son. No one can choose who they are going to fall in love with. But if that was possible, you couldn't have chosen a better woman for you." he told him proudly.

"Thanks dad. We should go change; she's probably already waiting for us." he told his father.

* * *

><p>A few minutes after Ziva who was already laying on her deck chair saw Tony arriving alone.<p>

"Hey you." she said.

"Hey gorgeous." he answered bending down to give her a loving kiss.

She immediately moved her arms around his neck to bring him closer and kiss him more deeply.

Tony without even thinking about it twice lowered himself on top of her.

He kissed her for a few seconds before letting go of her delicate mouth to look into her eyes.

"Do you know how hard it is to control myself when I see you in that bikini?" He told her huskily.

"I can tell, and do not say that this is your knee, Tony." she said laughing.

"It never was my knee." he answered while placing kisses along her neckline which made Ziva moan.

"We should really stop that before your father arrives. I do not want to give him a show." she said but regretted it when Tony stopped and stood up. She was already missing his lips on her neck.

"What are you doing?" she asked when she saw him approach the poolside.

"Well, little Tony and I, we need to… calm down a little." he told her before stepping into the water.

She laughed at him, amused by the situation.

Senior arrived a few seconds later and proposed to Ziva to join Junior in the pool. She accepted with pleasure and he took her hands, helping her up. They both entered the water carefully as Tony swam in their direction.

The three of them swam for a while until Senior grabbed Ziva by the waist and throw her completely in the water.

Ziva resurfaced surprised and a little shocked but then started to laugh.

"I cannot believe you did that." she told Senior.

"I'm sure it was only a matter of time before my son did that to you, so I decided to just beat him to it." he said amused.

She turned to Tony and throw him a _'oh really'_ look which made Tony laugh and node.

"We used to do that a lot when I was a child. I always thought it was funny." Tony defended himself.

"Oh I am sure. And what do you think of this?" she asked splashing him.

They all broke laughing and played like kids for about an hour.

It was Senior who stopped first, completely exhausted and told Ziva, the new queen of splashing, that he surrendered.

"You won my dear." he told her.

"She always wins dad. She's a ninja." he said smirking at her.

"Well thanks to the two of you for this great moment, it was a delight. I'm going to take a shower and meet with Elisabeth at the gallery." he explained.

"Will you be back for dinner?" Ziva asked.

"Absolutely beautiful. See you later kids." he said getting out of the pool and walking to the house.

Tony immediately swam to reach Ziva and put his arms around her to bring her closer. She copied him and relaxed in his embrace, burying her head in his neck. The both stood like this in the pool for a few minutes before Tony started to kiss delicately her lips.

"Do you want to go out and lie down in the sun for a while?" he asked pulling back.

"I would like that." she answered softly and kissed him one more time before following him out of the pool.

* * *

><p>Time passed quickly, the stayed like that for a while, grabbed some lunch and went back outside to relax some more.<p>

Ziva decided to start a new book in French that she had found in the house and Tony slept for a few hours.

By 4pm they both had had enough and decided that a little walk outside would be a good idea.

They both dressed casually and left the house.

* * *

><p>" I could take you were I went running the other day..." she proposed.<p>

"I'm following you, Sweetcheeks." he answered happily.

They followed a little path for about an hour and ended up in a very small garden with a marble fountain in the middle, beautiful flowers everywhere and bushes all around with two white benches for people to sit. They both stopped, stunned by the sight and walked hand in hand to one of the benches to sit and enjoy the gorgeous view for a while.

"Did you come this far when you were running the other day?" he asked her.

"No, I did not. I had been running for a while when I found this path so I didn't get to go too far. I am glad I came back with you, this place is unbelievable." she said looking lovingly into his deep green eyes.

He smiled at her and brought her closer until she rested her head on this shoulder.

After a few minutes she broke the silence calling his name. She moved and put a little distance between them to look at him in the eyes. The look on her face told him that whatever she was about to say what something serious.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened between us last night ... and this morning…" she said and stopped when she saw his lost face.

"You mean, us having sex?" he asked not really getting why they should talk about it.

"Yes… no… I mean, it is not was we did that I want to talk about… it is how we did it. There are a lot of things I never told you Tony." she confessed in a sad voice.

"Ziva you don't have to-" he started but she stopped him.

"Yes Tony, I do. We did not used any protection, I never do that, but with you to be honest it did not even crossed my mind and I wanted to tell you that you had nothing to be worried about. I take the pill and I have been tested several times since I was… since Somalia and I am perfectly healthy."

"Oh Ziva, I was never worried about that. And just so you know, we have nothing to fear either. I always use condoms and do regular tests just to be sure." he told her reassuringly.

He was doing his best to stay calm and reassure her but if he was really honest his mind was focused on what she had almost just confessed about Somalia. He always suspected, but knowing for sure was very different.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her softly.

She knew what he was talking about. Somalia. She had wanted to tell him for so long. Now they needed to talk about it to move forward. If they wanted to work as a couple, something as big and important could not stay unsaid. But it wasn't easy. She had never said anything to **anyone**. But she knew that if there was one person in the world she could talk to, it was Tony… her Tony.

"Yes. I need to, for me and for us." she took a deep breath before continuing.

"It happened about a month and a half after my capture. Saleem had tried everything to make me talk. He spend the first week beating me, when it did not work he tried to starved me. His orders were to not give me any food and only a glass of water every two or three days. He told his men to come every day in my cell and eat in front of me. They always came with an extra plate; they would put it in the middle of the room and tell me that I just had to accept to tell Saleem what he wanted to know for the food to be mine. Of course I refused, it lasted for about two weeks, maybe more. He came in my cell one day and asked me to talk one more time; I said no and spit on him. He was so angry that he dragged me by the hair in a very small cell without windows and let me there without any light, no one talked to me for days, or so I think, it was hard to tell in the dark. They would open the door only to give me food and water every so often. I thought that at some point he would get bored and kill me, so when one day the door opened I told myself _'this is the __end; I am finally going to die'_. They brought me in the shower, gave me soap and new clothes and told me to wash, that is when I understood what was coming next." A single tear dropped from her eye and she stopped to look in his eyes to find the strength to continue. What she found was exactly that, there was nothing but love in his eyes.

"They dragged me into a cell with a mattress on the floor and Saleem entered. He told me that this was my last chance to talk… I could have stopped it, I just had to tell him what he wanted to know, but I just could not. I told him that I did not care, he could do anything he wanted to me, I will never tell him anything. I was surprised when he left the room but it only lasted a few seconds, he… he came back with 6 of his men and told them that I was theirs for the next few hours." her voice broke and she started to cry openly. Tony enveloped her in his arms; he was crying too but was doing his best to stay strong for her and kept whispering comforting and loving words in her ear.

"I will never forget what they did to me that day. But I got over it with time and the love of all the team." she confessed.

He moved her from his arms and cupped her face in his hands. "I'm so sorry Ziva, if only I had come sooner…"

Ziva silenced him by placing a finger on his lips. "No, do not blame yourself; it was not your fault. You… you came for me and you saved me. You brought me back to life that day Tony."

He kissed her tenderly with all the love he was capable of and told her how much he loved her.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked her hesitantly.

"Of course." she answered lovingly.

"Was… was Ray the first man you trusted enough to…"

"No!" she answered quickly and saw the surprise look on his face.

"When I got back, I… I lost it. One night after a really bad nightmare, I got dressed and went into the closest bar to my apartment. I could not stand the idea that the last time someone had touched me…" she trailed off sadly.

"I needed to be in control again. I started drinking and spotted a man; he was drinking alone and had a sad look on his face. He did not look dangerous, he looked lost, exactly how I was feeling. I offered him a drink and told him that he could follow me home if he was interested. He told me that he had just broke up with his girlfriend and that he would probably be terrible company. I answered him that he was exactly what I was looking for. We went to my place and… I… I barely remember what happened. I know that it was terrible; I flashed back to Somalia and cried. He did not see anything and when it was over I kicked him out. I did that a few times and after a while I guess it started to feel normal again. Ray happened a long time after. He was nothing but a friend at first. He was nice and I knew he was interested in me, I thought he was a safe choice so after a while I gave in. If I am honest with myself, I loved the idea of a serious relationship, I loved that he was so nice and tender but I never was in love with him." she said and smiled slightly at him.

"I know that it was probably not the best way to deal with what had happened to me, but it was **my **way. I hope you do not think any less of me for it." she said looking at her hands.

He lifted her face with his hand to make her look at him again. "Ziva, you have no idea how proud I am of you. You are the strongest person I know. You survived hell and chose to deal with it all by yourself and you won. There are no words strong enough to tell you how much I love you Ziva. I just wish I could have been there for you."

She smiled. "I love you too." She then kissed him and let him envelope her in his arms again.

They stayed like that and watched the beautiful view around them until they had both calmed enough to leave the garden and go home.

She did not know why she had chosen this place and this moment for a conversation like this but somehow this garden made her felt safe and like they were the only people left on the planet. And she was happy to have finally found the courage to tell him about Somalia.

* * *

><p>An hour later they were back at the house and were making diner together happily. Every once in a while he would say something funny, making her laugh like no one else could, she would kiss him and go back to her task.<p>

Senior came home early that evening and told them that Elisabeth was free tomorrow night and was really excited to meet them. The three of them enjoyed their dinner and spend the night playing with board games that they had found in the house.

Playing with a monopoly in French had been a pretty funny experience. Of course Senior had won, the old man knew his way around money, Ziva finished second and poor Tony last.

He had faked a sad face to Ziva, hoping to get a kiss or two and Ziva amused, played along, she told him not to worry, she did not love him for his money and gave him a quick kiss.

They went to bed first that night, kissed tenderly for a few minutes and both fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

To Be Continued


End file.
